For those with a knowledge of Thanos’ history in Marvel Comics and the saga of the Infinity Gauntlet, the idea that The Mad Titan is more than just brawn and destruction isn’t too foreign. But the character we’ve seen so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been quiet, threatening, and seemingly very physical — punching Iron Man into oblivion in the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War. But Josh Brolin wants you to know that there’s more than just mayhem with him in the massive film.
As part of Entertainment Weekly’s massive preview for Avengers: Infinity War, Josh Brolin talked a bit about playing Thanos and how he saw the character develop after accepting the role. He admits he was completely uneducated when it came to the comic book background for the character, but bringing it together piece by piece was fascinating for him and it added a depth that many might not expect on the screen:
When [directors Joe and Anthony Russo] came up to me after we had done maybe three quarters of the film, they said, “It wasn’t necessarily intended that you feel for this guy as much as you do.” Obviously he has a grand plan, like somebody who’s pulling in kids for their own selfish bloodshed. But he has a capacity to love very much and very deeply…
He’s different from his family. They’re all Titans and they all look similar, but he was born deformed. You see how he grew up, you see he was like the Quasimodo of this time, or if you’ve ever read Perfume [Patrick Süskind ‘s 1985 novel about a serial killer who craves beautiful scenes but is disgusted by the smell of humanity], it’s a great parallel to Thanos. He stuck out. He was an anomaly. He was a freak. And that lent to this apparent insanity.
Thanos from the comics was always a fascinating character that brought this infatuation with death to the forefront, particularly when he literally courted the embodiment of Death in the Marvel Universe and let it fuel his search for the Infinity Gems that led to the events that inspired the film.
Brolin also adds that the look of Thanos lends to the layers, holding a surprise inside this hulking frame that one wouldn’t initially think is the smartest guy in the room:
You see this lughead and this guy who you pigeonhole right from the first cosmetic reaction to him. And what I see is this in this guy’s eyes. This super, super, super intelligence. There’s this constant contrasting thing about this Neanderthalic lughead who’s way more intelligent than anybody else in the movie, by far.
Seeing how high the stakes are in Infinity War and how it will close out the 10-year stretch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having a character that is a threat on multiple levels might be the best strategy for the company. If you’re bringing all the biggest players from your decade of films, you need a villain that can make them look silly across a pair of films. It also helps when that character can throw entire moons at people too.
Avengers: Infinity War unleashes 8 exclusive new photos https://t.co/qOq8tAFSLN
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) March 8, 2018
(Via Entertainment Weekly)